Richard Grieco
Grieco continues to act steadily — though most of those projects have been on the smaller end of things. He has made guest appearances in It’s Only Sunny in Philadelphia and 22 Jump Street. In 2009, Grieco’s acting career took somewhat of a backseat in favor of art. Grieco has a website which details his foray into abstract emotionalism. The 57-year-old actor is said to have been influenced by former co-star Dennis Hopper when it came to venturing into the world of art.
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Scott Baio
Baio had a five-episode run on Arrested Development which was quite hilarious. While not the gigantic star he once was, Baio has appeared in both film and television (as an actor and director). More recently he’s gotten more vocal publicly about his political stances. Married to wife Renee, the couple’s daughter Bailey is said to be somewhat of a golf prodigy. Baio is also quite active in various charity organizations.
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Jerry Hall
Jerry Hall was one of those glamorous figures who gained considerable notoriety from dating Mick Jagger (and having four of his children). Along with her newfound fame came opportunities within the entertainment industry. Among them, she had a role alongside Jack Nicholson and Michael Keaton in Batman. Now in her mid-60s, what’s she been up to since?
Since breaking things off with Jagger, Hall has dabbled in theater — specifically across the pond in both England and Ireland. She’s also been involved in a number of different projects, from writing an autobiography to appearing on a British dance competition show. In 2016, Hall ended up marrying Australian billionaire Rupert Murdoch.
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Corey Feldman
Corey Feldman was a poster child for the ’80s. He emerged as a child actor in both Stand By Me and The Goonies. From there, the height of his career came when paired with Corey Haim. The duo starred in a number of films together, and were by all accounts incredibly close. However, Feldman also allegedly represents a cautionary tale in which a young person can be exploited and taken advantage of by an older figure in power.
Feldman’s career virtually stalled once the ’80s ended. Roles dried up, and much of Feldman’s notoriety came in the way of reality television. Throughout the course of his professional career, he’s been quite involved with music. He’s released multiple albums, and has performed live on television with clear ties to his past friend Michael Jackson. Feldman has been very vocal about the alleged sexual assault taking place in Hollywood against younger actors. He identified as a victim, and also created a documentary detailing the allegations in 2020.
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Ally Sheedy
New York native Ally Sheedy was a part of the group of young actors who emerged during the ’80s. You know — the group we’ve seen in various teen-based/young adult comedies. Sheedy’s breakout role undoubtedly came in The Breakfast Club (which also may be her most prominent role). After St. Elmo’s Fire and Heart of Dixie, things slowed down a bit for Sheedy.
Sheedy (pictured on the right) ended up marrying her ex-husband in 1992. The former couple have one son together. The indie film High Art (featuring Sheedy and Radha Mitchell) was among her most recent critically-acclaimed performances. She’s also made various guest spots on television shows (Kyle XY, Psych). Most recently, she’s starring in the comedy Single Drunk Female.
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Judd Nelson
Along with Sheedy, Judd Nelson was an integral member of the “Brat Pack” crew from this time period. The Maine native also starred along Sheedy in The Breakfast Club as the troubled John Bender. The ferocity he brought to the role led to Nelson starring in films all throughout the decade. He worked alongside some heavy-hitters in the industry (Robert De Niro, Willem Dafoe, Rob Lowe, Nic Cage). Did Nelson maintain that type of momentum heading into the new millennium?
Nelson has steadily acted throughout his career and into the current time. His last role came in the Lifetime film Girl in the Basement (2021). Among his more prominent roles, we’ve seen Nelson in Airheads, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Billionaire Boys Club, CSI: NY, Las Vegas, Psych, and Two and a Half Men. Formerly engaged to Shannen Doherty, Nelson is said to live a very active life in Los Angeles.
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Mary Stuart Masterson
Mary Stuart Masterson is a highly underrated actress. Throughout the latter part of the ’80s, we saw her explode onto the scene in John Hughes’ Some Kind of Wonderful. She also was brilliant in the 1989 film Immediate Family. When further including ’80s hits At Close Range and Chances Are, Masterson put on a master class in acting. The following decade was also great to Masterson (Fried Green Tomatoes, Benny & Joon). Since then, has the New York native continued to act?
In a word, yes. Speaking to her overall talent, Masterson earned a Tony nomination in 2003 for her role in the Broadway hit Nine. She’s since featured in various television cameo roles, and has also gotten into directing. Currently on her third marriage, Masterson has four children with current husband Jeremy Davidson. She last featured in the 2020 ABC short-lived drama For Life.
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Kirk Cameron
Kirk Cameron was the charming lead on Growing Pains. He was perfect as the good looking trickster who often got out of trouble due to his suave ways. The Los Angeles native became a megastar from this show alongside Alan Thicke. It led to Cameron earning roles alongside Dudley Moore (Like Father Like Son) and Roy Scheider (Listen to Me) at the latter part of the ’80s. As his career unfolded, Cameron ended up following another calling…
Once his popularity somewhat faded, Cameron essentially stopped participating in what people would call mainstream projects. Instead, being a devout Christian, Cameron participated in — and participates in — films that speak directly to his faith. Along with his wife Chelsea (also an actress), Cameron is proud in sharing his faith with others. The happily married couple have six children and live in a suburb north of Los Angeles.
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Ralph Macchio
The Long Island native is known — and will forever be known as Daniel-San from the Karate Kid franchise. The Italian-American actor has garnered global notoriety for his role in these films. In the same decade, we saw Macchio do a Broadway play alongside Robert De Niro, and also starred with a plethora of future stars in The Outsiders. After his role next to Joe Pesci in My Cousin Vinny, Macchio’s acting career slowed considerably. However, all of that changed with the unique revival of his most famous character…
After a relative lull in his acting career, Macchio got the opportunity of a lifetime with the re-introduction of the Karate Kid world. However, it was repackaged into a new story featuring old faces and fresh ones. Cobra Kai has become a worldwide phenomenon, and Macchio is heavily involved both on-screen and behind the scene. Aside from reprising his role as Daniel LaRusso, Macchio loves spending time with his wife Phyllis and their two children — Julia and Daniel.
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Eric Stoltz
While the Southern California native has cultivated a very respectable career, there’s always that ‘what-if’ scenario as it pertains to Stolz. Sure, he did feature in projects such as Mask, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and Some Kind of Wonderful (among others). However, none of those compared to Stoltz initially gaining the role as Marty McFly in Back to the Future. Stoltz shot over a month’s worth of footage before being replaced over the way he approached the role. Had he been able to land the gig fully, imagine how Stoltz’s career may have changed.
We’ve certainly seen him over the years — especially in projects directed by Cameron Crowe (Jerry Maguire, Singles). He was the love interest to Jennifer Lopez in the box office hit Anaconda. Since then, Stoltz’s career focuses mostly on indie projects. As a director, however, he’s been a fixture on network shows Madam Secretary and Glee. Stoltz and his wife are said to have one child (a daughter).
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Molly Ringwald
Molly Ringwald was the “it” girl for both the 1980s and for John Hughes. In a sense, Ringwald was his muse. She starred in a number of teen films which remain highly popular over 30 years later (Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles). For decades, Ringwald was solely known for these films despite acting in other projects throughout the ’90s and into the 2000s. As of 2022, has Ringwald broken out from underneath this ‘teen’ umbrella?
In the early 2000s, Ringwald focused primarily on participating in Broadway performances. She ended up starring in over 100 episodes of the drama The Secret Life of the American Teenager (this time as a mother rather than a teen). Ringwald released a jazz album as a musician, and eventually got a recurring role on the hit Netflix show Riverdale. In addition to her acting, she’s currently married with three children.
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Lou Diamond Phillips
Two performances in particular helped in illustrating the career of Lou Diamond Phillips: La Bamba (1987) and Stand and Deliver (1988). We saw Phillips’ acting range here — going from a musical prodigy to a troubled youth aiming to beat the system. The native of Texas did act in other projects. However, during this decade, these were the two films which effectively put him on the map.
Throughout the ’90s. Phillips did a bit of everything — from acting on Broadway to being the lead singer of his own band. This period included acting in both film and television. Sitcom work came fast and furious for Phillips as it pertained to reoccurring shows (George Lopez, 24, Num3ers). He’s still active today (recently appearing on the CBS hit show Bull). Over the span of multiple relationships, Phillips has four daughters.
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Ione Skye
Ione Skye was a big deal during the height of her career. Say Anything… really propelled the actress into the upper crust of the acting world in the late part of the 1980s. From there, we saw Skye in Wayne’s World and One Night Stand. As the 2000s hit, Skye focused mostly on small-budget projects. Her love of the arts became more pronounced as she got older…
Being an avid writer, Skye has published numerous children’s books over the years. She also is a frequent painter, utilizing a bunch of different mediums. She’s still continued to steadily act (mostly on television guest spots). As of 2022, Skye nabbed a recurring role on the NBC show La Brea. Currently, she’s also raising her two daughters.
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Steve Guttenberg
Queens actor Steve Guttenberg first broke into the business in the late ’70s — and never looked back. From an early age, he was a fixture in various productions. Police Academy was a big role for him, and that eventually led Guttenberg into a consistent and steady film career. Among the highlights of the decade were Cocoon and 3 Men and a Baby.
In the following years, we’ve seen a steady diet of Guttenberg in noteworthy performances. This has included work in film, television, Broadway, and with a London-based theater company. In recent years, we’ve seen Guttenberg in the Sharknado franchise, on The Goldbergs, and Last Week Tonight With John Oliver. He’s also quite involved with a number of charities aiming to help young people beset by issues.
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Phoebe Cates
Cates went from being a model to becoming an A-List ’80s actress virtually overnight. Of course, her role as the plucky best friend to Jennifer Jason Leigh in Fast Times at Ridgemont High made Cates wildly popular (along with her famous pool scene). She parlayed that success into starring in the box office hit Gremlins. Film roles were coming steadily to her, and Cates also had spots in Off-Broadway/Broadway productions. Over 30 years later, what’s she been up to since?
For one, she married fellow actor Kevin Kline. The two of them have a son and daughter together. In fact, daughter Greta is the lead singer for the band Frankie Cosmos. It was in the mid-’90s where Cates essentially decided to take a hiatus from acting and instead focused on her two kids. She’s been in only one project since 1994 (The Anniversary Party) — and that was only because Leigh was directing the film.
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Tom Berenger
The 1980s was a very kind decade to Chicago actor Tom Berenger. You can go through the entire 10-year span and find hit after hit. Platoon was his most noteworthy performance, and likely the best of his career (where he was nominated for an Academy Award). The Big Chill occurred during this decade, as did the hilarious baseball comedy Major League. A truly versatile actor, Berenger’s continued to entertain for years on end…
Portraying a tough guy in many of his roles, it was only natural for him to appear in Training Day, One Man’s Hero, Gettysburg, Inception, and Hatfield and McCoys (for which he won an Emmy Award). Now in his 70s, Berenger is currently filming a movie entitled The Most Dangerous Game (featuring Judd Nelson and Bruce Dern). He’s been married four times, and has six adult children.
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Andrew McCarthy
Andrew McCarthy was one of those teen heartthrob “Brat Pack” members with tons of fanfare. St. Elmo’s Fire and Pretty in Pink were his two big films. Of course, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the New Jersey native’s involvement in Weekend at Bernie’s. That film helped in completing a trifecta of films which ultimately shaped McCarthy’s career. Once the ’90s hit, McCarthy earned roles — but struggled to break away from the teen genre he was known for…
Once the year 2000 hit, McCarthy was doing low budget films, and making guest spots on sitcoms. It was a comfy gig, though he was itching to get further into the scene. He began directing at a very high level. To date, McCarthy directed 15 episodes of the hit show Orange is the New Black. He also has involvement with The Blacklist, Condor, and Awkwafina is Nora From Queens. Currently married to his second wife, McCarthy is the father to three children.
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Elisabeth Shue
The New Jersey native was a total rockstar during the 1980s. Shue developed into a leading woman on the heels of her performances as Ali in The Karate Kid, and Chris in Adventures in Babysitting. Initially a commercial actor, Shue’s bright personality and stunning looks allowed for her to transition over to the silver screen. Cocktail (opposite Tom Cruise) and Back to the Future II were two of her other bigger films. As the ’80s came to a close, Shue’s acting career continued to thrive.
Her performance in Leaving Las Vegas enabled Shue to really skyrocket. She acted in a number of very prominent projects throughout the ’90s and into the 2000s. Shue’s career is earmarked by versatility and the company she’s acted next to. In most of her roles, she’s brilliantly matching the wits of fellow A-List stars. Shue’s ability to fulfill virtually any and all characters speaks to her immense talent. She recently had spots on both The Boys and Cobra Kai. Married to her husband for over 25 years, the couple have three children together.
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Anthony Michael Hall
A favorite of John Hughes, Anthony Michael Hall was one of the more accomplished teen actors during the 1980s. He was stereotyped a bit as the ‘geeky’ kid in The Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles. He played a slightly cooler, though still nerdy, teen in the sci-fi film Weird Science. Earlier, he acted alongside Chevy Chase in National Lampoon’s Vacation. Hall then joined Saturday Night Live as a cast member — presumably to break away from the tropes he was forced into fulfilling. We saw Hall physically go from a scrawny guy into one with far more muscle (in both Johnny Be Good and Edward Scissorhands). It was a brilliant decade for the Boston native. However, things sort of fell off drastically as he got older.
Many saw him through the lens as the geeky kid from the Hughes flicks. As such, Hall wasn’t flush with offers to be a leading man. For a nearly two-decade run, Hall was getting very small roles in even smaller movies. He has bounced back in recent years to make sitcom cameos on a number of bigger projects (The Goldbergs, Psych, The Blacklist, American Dad!, Entourage). He’s also been in some rather large films over the last 15 years (War Machine, Halloween Kills, The Dark Knight). However, Hall hasn’t been able to capture the magic he once had as a box office draw.
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Corey Haim
The story of Corey Haim is a very sad one. Hailing from Toronto, Haim’s tumultuous career began with high-profile roles in Firstborn and Murphy’s Romance. Acting next to Liza Minelli in A Time to Live — along with his role in the triumph Lucas — made Haim very famous. The Lost Boys soon followed, and his on-screen/off-screen bromance with Corey Feldman led to a run of movies (License to Drive, Dream a Little Dream). Unfortunately, reported drug use derailed what looked like a very promising career.
Sadly, addiction overtook Haim’s life to the point where he was forced into acting in projects that were frankly way below where his natural talent level was. Towards the end of his life, he participated in a reality show featuring the relationship between himself and Feldman. While the two were inseparable at one time, there were some reportedly heated moments between them. One of Haim’s last roles came alongside Jason Statham and Amy Smart in Crank: High Voltage (2009). Sadly, Haim passed away in 2010 at the age of 38.
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Kerri Green
Kerri Green was the total ‘girl next door’ that every kid had a crush on during the 1980s. She starred in Summer Renal with John Candy — and then had a run where she featured in both Lucas and The Goonies. These three movies were essentially the height of her professional career as an actress. From there, she’s only been involved in six other films since 1987.
However, Green did have multiple guest starring roles on network shows (ER, Murder, She Wrote, Mad About You, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit). Green’s last on-screen performance came in the indie 2012 film Complacent. The 55-year-old actress from New Jersey has been seen over the years at various autograph signing events.
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